“Hutson is poised to be the next breakout indie-folk statesman, and if you’re a fan of blended, introspective fingerpicking and storytelling, you won’t want to miss ‘Beginners’.” – Paste, “The 20 Artists We Most Wanted to See at SXSW 2020”
Christian Lee Hutson today shared the video for “Talk,” the second single off his forthcoming Phoebe Bridgers-produced album Beginners, out May 29th, 2020, via ANTI- Records/Rhythmethod. The Han-Su Kim-directed clip, which matches the track’s tender melancholy can also now be seen HERE. Of the song, Hutson explains, “‘Talk’ is the story of a person, on the verge of parenthood, coming to terms with their relationship with their own absent parent.”
“Talk” follows “Lose This Number”—released in early February to praise from outlets including Stereogum, Uproxx, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, and more—and like its predecessor features a string arrangement by Nathaniel Walcott of Bright Eyes. Last year, the Los Angeles-based Hutson also released single “Northsiders” as an early preview of Beginners to additional acclaim from The New York Times and Rolling Stone (‘Song You Need To Know’ for “Northsiders”), among others.
After 2019 tours with Better Oblivion Community Center, Julia Jacklin, and Okkervil River, Hutson will support The Magnetic Fields on the band’s U.S. tour dates in June and July.
On Beginners, Hutson embeds every lyric with his most intimate self-dialogue, sharing painful confessions and private jokes, imagined conversations and elaborate daydreams. The album spotlights nuanced songcraft and understated candour that all but erases the distance between feeling and expression. Throughout this collection of songs, Hutson ultimately speaks an illuminating truth about regret and forgiveness and the endless confusion in growing up.
“I went with Beginners as the title because that’s where I feel like I am in my life—like I’m still just learning and trying to figure out how to navigate the world,” Hutson notes.
Hutson—who also co-wrote a song on the 2018 boygenius EP and two on the 2019 Better Oblivion Community Center LP—and Bridgers recorded Beginners at L.A.’s legendary Sound City Studios, but purposely preserved the homespun quality of his cell-phone-recorded demos. The album mines its subtle textures from Hutson’s warm vocals and graceful guitar work and also unfolds flashes of sonic brilliance achieved with the help of its guest musicians—including Bridgers herself, as well as Walcott (who created all the string arrangements for the album, in addition to playing the trumpet).
photo credit: Gus Black
